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Selective Solid–Liquid and Liquid–Liquid Extraction of Lithium Chloride Using Strapped Calix[4]pyrroles
Author(s) -
He Qing,
Williams Neil J.,
Oh Ju Hyun,
Lynch Vincent M.,
Kim Sung Kuk,
Moyer Bruce A.,
Sessler Jonathan L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201805127
Subject(s) - lithium chloride , chemistry , extraction (chemistry) , nitrobenzene , liquid–liquid extraction , salt (chemistry) , lithium (medication) , chloride , inorganic chemistry , selectivity , aqueous solution , ionic liquid , chromatography , organic chemistry , catalysis , medicine , endocrinology
LiCl is a classic “hard” ion salt that is present in lithium‐rich brines and a key component in end‐of‐life materials (that is, used lithium‐ion batteries). Its isolation and purification from like salts is a recognized challenge with potential strategic and economic implications. Herein, we describe two ditopic calix[4]pyrrole‐based ion‐pair receptors ( 2 and 3 ), that are capable of selectively capturing LiCl. Under solid–liquid extraction conditions, using 2 as the extractant, LiCl could be separated from a NaCl/KCl salt mixture containing as little as 1 % LiCl with circa 100 % selectivity, while receptor 3 achieved similar separations when the LiCl level was as low as 200 ppm. Under liquid–liquid extraction conditions using nitrobenzene as the non‐aqueous phase, the extraction preference displayed by 2 is KCl>NaCl>LiCl. In contrast, 3 exhibits high selectivity towards LiCl over NaCl and KCl, with no appreciable extraction being observed for the latter two salts.